Adolescent gang participation: Psychological perspectives

Abstract

An issue concerning societal welfare that receives much exposure in the media is the existence of gangs and their effects on children. There is a perception that the level of youth related violence is going up while the age of gang participation is going down. Multiple sources (e.g., statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation) suggest that the extent of gang activity has risen dramatically over the last two decades and it is common to hear of stories concerning juvenile crime. Despite this apparent increase, psychological theory is rarely applied to the consideration of gang behavior. Therefore this paper offers a review of the growth and trends of gang participation among American youth, followed with an overview of research and theory taken from various domains within psychology, in an effort to offer explanations for why adolescents become involved with gangs. Although the psychological research and theory has much to say about adolescence, it does not speak directly to gang involvement. Nevertheless, there is a solid knowledge base from which to explore the issue and a consideration of psychological theory provides a number of research questions for those that are interested in further exploration of this area.